Intel Celeron 2.10 socket: Socket 478

What the Celeron 2.10 is

The Intel Celeron 2.10 is a 2.1 GHz single-core value processor from November 2002. It runs one NetBurst Northwood core at 2.1 GHz with no Hyper-Threading, so 1 core gives 1 thread. Cache is 128 KB of L2 on a 130 nm process. Power is rated at 73 W in a Socket 478 package with a 400 MT/s front side bus and a 21x multiplier.

The 2.10 steps above the 2.0 with the same 128 KB cache and 73 W envelope, using one higher multiplier at the same voltage window. Intel placed it in November 2002 as a small clock lift for value towers. The chip supports MMX, SSE and SSE2. Pentium 4 2.10? No mainstream Pentium 4 at the same 2.1 GHz exists, so the Celeron 2.10 filled a value gap between 2.0 GHz and 2.20 GHz Pentium 4 parts with larger cache.

Flat power with rising clocks marks late Northwood-128 maturity. The 73 W rating against 73 W on the 2.0 needs no cooler change. That is why boards qualified for slower Celeron parts normally accept the 2.10 without a thermal review.

Socket and motherboard compatibility

The Celeron 2.10 fits Socket 478 value desktops with a 400 MT/s bus and Northwood Celeron support. It needs a 478-pin board. The Socket vs chipset: what decides whether a CPU works guide covers pairing rules.

Office DDR towers are the natural match. Boards listing Northwood Celeron 2.10 accept the chip with a 73 W cooler.

Memory, PCIe and cooling

Memory is DDR through the board chipset. The board sets speed and capacity.

A 400 MT/s bus ties the CPU to the chipset, while AGP handles graphics. No PCIe lanes originate on the die. Cooling uses the Socket 478 bracket with a 73 W heatsink.

Upgrade paths

On Socket 478 the steps are Celeron 2.20 and 2.30 Northwood parts. Celeron D parts offer more cache on newer boards. Pentium 4 parts add cache as a larger lift. The 2.10 lifts with the lever, so swaps need no solder work.